The average person produces two to three pints of gas daily, which exits the body from the anus in the form of flatus or from the mouth in the form of belching. On average, a flatus outburst for a normal person ranges from 10-20 occurrences per day and the odoriferous component consists mainly of sulfide gases. However, sufferers of, for example, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, diverticulitis, MS, aging and other gastrointestinal ailments can produce far more gas with more odors and emit it much more frequently. To minimize the effects of these flatus events, a wearable and regenerative odor control nether garment, incorporating air diffusion and odor adsorbing filtration technology, were developed to eliminate the inherent conflict between someone with odoriferous intestinal gas and the people within his or her breathing zone. Thus, the present invention relates to a gaseous intestinal discharge control apparatus and, more specifically, to an odor control apparatus which when worn close to the body of a user, adsorbs odoriferous intestinal gas and/or genitalia and/or urine and/or foot and/or under arm odor.
The use of activated carbon dates back to 1500 BC when it was discovered in an Egyptian papyrus and used for medicinal purposes. The ancient Hindus filtered water with carbon. In the thirteenth century, carbon materials were used in processes to purify sugar solutions. Late in the eighteenth century, Scheel discovered the gas adsorptive capabilities of carbon and Lowitz noted its ability to remove colors from liquids.
During World War I, activated carbon was used by the allies in gas masks to filter out chlorine gas. During Desert Storm, the allied military, under the threat of gas warfare, used garments impregnated with coconut shell carbon powder for protection.
Activated carbons are typically produced in granular, powdered and pelletized (a form of powdered) forms with the bulk made from coconut shells, coal, wood or peat materials, activated by selective oxidation with steam at elevated temperatures.
During the last few decades a third form of activated carbon was successfully developed by technically advanced countries, known as activated carbon fiber fabric. The raw materials used for making activated carbon fiber are typically Rayon® (cellulose), phenolic compounds and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). In general, the manufacture of PAN involves stabilizing the PAN in air up to 300° C. The resulting oxidized fiber can be directly activated or more usually is made into a fabric through conventional textile means. The oxidized PAN material is then activated. This involves heating the material to a temperature of up to 1300° C. not in an inert atmosphere but in an oxidizing atmosphere such as CO2 or H2O (steam). The action of the oxidizing agent causes a tremendous attack on the surface of the fibers, which induces a huge surface area, and a porous surface. The size and configuration of the pores greatly influence the adsorption capability of the carbon atoms on the surface to act as chemical “hooks” to attach many odoriferous gaseous substances, which are capable of passing through the PAN material. Also, a unique property of the activated carbon fiber fabric is that it is possible to reactivate the material when it becomes saturated, thus allowing the fiber fabric to be reused.
The adsorption speed of PAN activated carbon fiber can be from ten times to several hundred times that of granular or powdered activated carbon due to the size and configuration of the pores. Activated carbon fiber having a PAN precursor consists of micropores whereas macropores are predominant in granular/powdered carbons. The micropores are of a long and narrow shape resulting in a strong attractive force at the carbon surface, accelerating molecules into the pore structure so that efficient and rapid pore-filling continues, up to the point of saturation whereas in granular or activated powdered carbon some micropores exist at the very deep portion of the structure with the entrance to these pores being wide open. As a result, there is only a weak attraction at the surface thus requiring a long time for the molecules to diffuse to the point where they are captured and fixed.
The basic mechanism by which PAN activated carbon fiber fabric removes impurities from contaminated air is referred to as physical adsorption. Physical adsorption is a phenomenon caused by electrostatic forces of attraction (Van der Waal forces) between the impurities and the internal surfaces of the activated carbon. Adsorption differs from absorption in that adsorption is the binding of molecules to a surface and absorption is the filling of pores in a solid.
Activated carbon is not a single product but a variety of products, which can be distinguished by a number of qualitative parameters. The qualitative parameters of one carbon product may make it efficient and cost effective where another may fail in part or in whole. Some of the parameters of activated carbon are: porosity; weight of specific material expressed in g/m2; BET (internal surface area) m2/g; pore volume (ml/g); elastic rate (kg/mm2); tensile strength (kg/mm2); and ash content.
Activated carbons have different sized pores. Pores are referred to as micropores if their diameter is less than 20 angstroms (ideal for gas phase applications, and are of greatest significance for adsorption due to their very large specific surface area, and their large specific volume), mesopores when between 20 angstroms and 500 angstroms (ideal for liquid phase applications), and macropores when greater than 500 angstroms (ideal for large color bodies in liquid applications).
The specific surface area is measured by the BET method (the name being drawn from those of its inventors: Brunauer, Emmet and Teller). It consists of quantifying the pore surface of the activated carbon that is accessible to the molecules of a gas (nitrogen or argon). The value is expressed in m2/g of carbon. The larger the BET, the larger the surface area. Similarly, the larger the external surface area of the material, the more adsorption can take place.
Pore volume relates to the volume of micropores and can be used to determine the adsorbability of a particular entity. Also, elastic rate or elasticity is the greatest stress that can be applied to a material without causing permanent deformation.
The tensile strength is the ultimate strength of a material subjected to tensile loading. Thus, it is the maximum stress developed in a material during a tensile test.
Activated carbons can contain varying quantities of impurities, such as ash and humidity. Impurities can have an adverse affect on the application's performance and in the case of ash content, this residue creates a somewhat dirty/dusty product.
There are several devices that deal with the problems associated with intestinal discharges including devices that filter and/or capture intestinal exudations of various kinds. However, while those devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, the present invention provides an improved apparatus for adsorbing odors, such as body odors, including flatulence odor and/or genitalia odor and/or urine odor, to be worn close to the body of a user, as hereinafter described.
Typical of these devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,335 of Matrullo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,145 of Campbell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,417 of Yabrov, U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,421 of Revelle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,081 of Grosse, U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,080 of Suyama, U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,907 of Oakley Sauer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,371 of Conant, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,398 of Weimer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,335 of Matrullo describes an anal filter for protecting underwear from soiling, is attached to a person's anus solely by non-adhesive adherence to the anus and adjacent portions of the buttocks, due to a facing of fluffy fibrous material, and when attached, serves as a filter by being pervious to the discharge of gas through the anus but substantially impervious to complete passage of excreta carried by the gas or remaining on the anus from a bowel movement. A layer may be adhesively secured to the fibrous material and which prior to use of the anal filter can be pulled off from the fibrous material while pulling this material's fibers outwardly so as to give the material its fluffy characteristic.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,145 describes an ostomy pouch having a filter element affixed to the outer pouch wall. The outer pouch wall has an aperture and the filter element includes a polymeric film cover and an insert of gas deodorizing material. The film cover also has an aperture and opposite ends of the insert overlie the two apertures.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,417 of Yabrov describes an anal pad for preventing soiling of underwear due to undesired anal discharge. The anal pad includes a thin outer shell enclosing a semi-rigid shell. The semi-rigid shell may be a layer on one interior surface of the outer shell and may also partially cover the opposite interior surface of the outer shell. An absorbing layer is located within the outer shell and the semi-rigid layer. The absorbing layer contains glycerin which absorbs hydrogen sulfide gas and the combination of the absorbing layer and the semi-rigid shell acts as a sound muffling camera so as to decrease the noise due to flatus. The absorbing layer is made of a light porous material, the semi-rigid layer is made of compressed paper and the outer shell is made of a thin sheet of lignin paper. A layer of glue is provided on the outer surface of the anal pad for attaching it to a user's underwear.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,421 of Revelle describes a washable and reusable absorbent garment designed to be fitted about the waist and legs and covering the groin and anal areas of a wearer. The garment includes a number of superimposed layers of textile material sewn together along their edges. Elastic material may be sewn in the material around the leg openings and waist to improve the fit. A liner material covers the inner surface of the garment. The liner layer of the garment or that portion which is next to the wearer's skin is a knitted bicomponent textile comprised of a brushed polyester outer layer which is interknitted with a nylon block co-polymer inner layer. The materials function to transfer moisture in both vapor and liquid form from the polyester side to the nylon side where it is dispersed and made available to the garment's second or absorbent layer. The two specific materials in the liner adjacent the wearer's skin and absorbent material work together to maintain a high degree of comfort for the wearer even after it has been wetted. The structural and functional integrity of the garment is maintained after repeated washings.
Still another patent in this field is U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,081 of Grosse which relates to a pad for attenuating sound and absorbing odors from an anal region of an individual. The inventive device includes a pad member containing a volume of odor-absorbing granulated charcoal covered by a layer of filler material and encapsulated with a flexible web. A gluteus insert extends from the pad for positioning between the gluteus-maximus muscles and against the anal region of the user to attenuate noise emanating therefrom.
Another patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,080 of Suyama which relates to a degassing device for an artificial anal bag which is capable of storing the gas generated in the intestines, and of discharging the gas from the bag at a selected place where degassing causes no nuisance to others. It comprises an elongated tube having a filter loaded therein, an opening-and-closing plug attached to its head end and a diverging joint formed at its tail end. The diverging joint can be attached to the circumference of a joint opening, which is made in the upper part of the bag. When the bag is inflated with gas and excreta from the intestines, the patient can go to the men's room or somewhere for discharging the gas from the bag. Then, the excreta and liquid content are prevented from passing through the filter, only permitting the gas to flow therethrough. Thus, degassing can be put under the perfect control by the patient, so that there is no fear of permitting leakage of gas to cause nuisance to others or imprignation of his underwear with unpleasant odor before the patient is aware.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,907 of Sauer discloses an absorbent article that includes a close fitting bodyside liner having an opening therein. The opening defines a front end edge, a rear end edge, and a pair of laterally opposed side edges. The article also includes a pair of elastic members which extend longitudinally beyond at least one of the end edges of the opening in a laterally divergent direction. The elastic members may also extend at least partially along the side edges of the opening. The elastic members are configured to maintain the edges of the opening in contact with the wearer's buttocks and align the opening with the wearer's anal opening in use. The article may further include a liquid management material located on the bodyside liner in the front waist to absorb or contain liquid exudates.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,371 of Conant, et al. describes a flatulence deodorizer which purports to be the first product to use a washable and reusable activated charcoal cloth as a deodorizer because of its effectiveness and efficiency in removing odor such that the thickness of the cloth can be significantly reduced without losing its effectiveness. The filter is worn taped to the inside of briefs or panties and, because of its slim profile, the wearer is comfortable and virtually unaware of its presence.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,398 of Weimer discloses a protective underwear made of air tight polyurethane-coated nylon with an exit hole for the flatus is cut from the back, near the bottom of the underwear. The exit hole is covered with a pocket made of porous fabric, and designed in the same shape as the exit hole. The bottom layer of the pocket is sewn around the edge of the exit hole connecting it to the underwear. The top layer is sewn around the edge of the bottom layer and onto the underwear, except at the top, leaving the pocket opening. The pocket opening is kept closed by a fastener. The replaceable filter is inserted inside the pocket. The top and bottom layers are wool felt and the second layers top and bottom are of polypropylene non woven fabric; followed by layers top and bottom of fiber glass wool. In the middle of the filter is a single layer of activated carbon.
While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, the present invention provides an improved garment for controlling odors, a method of making the garment and a method of controlling odors, as hereinafter described.